My father is Jiajing

Chapter 681 The Giant Ship "Jiajing"
"No man's land?"

Qi Jin felt like she was about to laugh out loud in anger.

Qi Jin said, "For over a thousand years, Taiwan has had exchanges with the Central Plains and has always been an integral part of it. During the reign of Kublai Khan, the Yuan Dynasty emperor, a patrol office was even established in Penghu to govern the affairs of Taiwan. How can there be any talk of it being ownerless?"

"Moreover, China has been the master of the world since ancient times. There is also a poem that says: 'Under the vast sky, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the land, all people are subjects of the king.' Our Emperor Chengzu sent Zheng He on six voyages to the Western Ocean, and all the countries he passed through submitted to him."

"What you call the Kingdom of Holland is nothing but a tiny country in the eyes of my Great Ming Dynasty. Our Emperor is benevolent and unwilling to use force to conquer the weak. If you continue to disregard the warnings of our Celestial Empire, when our heavenly army arrives, not only will this small city beneath your feet be reduced to ashes."

"Even your tiny country of Holland, thousands of miles away, will be reduced to ashes by the might of my Great Ming Dynasty's elite army!"

Johnson was speechless. He never expected that this young Ming Dynasty military officer would be so tough!

However, he was the best captain in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the best adventurer (pirate) in the Dutch East India Company.

Johnson certainly won't be intimidated by a few words from Chikin.

After all, in his mind, although the Ming Dynasty was strong, it was just a traditional land power, while the Netherlands, though small, could roam the boundless ocean and become the undisputed maritime hegemon.

Therefore, in Johnson's mind, he was neither afraid of Qi Jin's threat nor of the might of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, Johnson's understanding of the Ming Dynasty was limited to the legends and accounts in Marco Polo's travelogue.

Therefore, he went through countless hardships and risked his life on the boundless ocean to come to the East. He certainly wouldn't be someone who would be easily intimidated by a few words.

Furthermore, in Johnson's mind, their Kingdom of Holland was not only the hegemon of the sea, but also extended its influence to a continent that was no less wealthy than the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, the native inhabitants of that continent were not only foolish and ignorant, but also incredibly fragile, unlike the hospitable Ming Dynasty. If it weren't for their overwhelming numerical advantage on that continent...

Johnson believed that sooner or later that vast and wealthy continent would become their backyard.

However, they now face competition on the mainland from those damned Spaniards, who are now the Netherlands' biggest rivals in the West and at sea.

Therefore, in order for the Netherlands to win the competition with Spain, and in order to gain more wealth and glory for himself, Johnson certainly could not back down.

Johnson retorted firmly, "We have established a foothold here in any way and will not withdraw easily. If you are willing to open the port and do business with us, we would be more than happy to do so."

Qi Jin stood up, his tone turning cold, and let out another sneer: "Captain Johnson, are you out of the loop?"

"Our Ming Dynasty has already opened customs and maritime trade offices in several coastal locations. If you want to do business, you can go there anytime."

"But now you are illegally occupying our Ming Dynasty's islands, and you are building cities and entrenching your armed forces on our islands. This has already posed a threat to the security of our Ming Dynasty's maritime borders."

"Therefore, I urge you once again to think carefully and not make a mistake for yourself!"

Johnson slammed his hand on the table and stood up, angrily saying, "Your court is nothing but robbery!"

“We went to your Maritime Trade Office to do business, but you demanded that we exchange our gold and silver for your worthless paper (newly exchanged currency).”

"And they also demand a deposit of 100,000 taels of silver! Otherwise, they won't allow us to buy your silk, porcelain, tea, and other goods. This is outright robbery! Even worse than the Vikings!"

Qi Jin was slightly taken aback when he heard this. He didn't know anything about the customs department, and now that Johnson said this, Qi Jin couldn't help but feel a little incredulous.

Of course, Qi Jin didn't need to understand these issues.

This was a decree issued by Zhu Zaiji specifically to the customs authorities. Its purpose was twofold: first, to transform the Ming Dynasty's hard-to-exchange currency into a world currency; and second, to prevent a massive influx of gold and silver into the Ming Dynasty's private market, which would cause soaring prices and the devaluation of silver.

It is important to understand that if the inflow and outflow of this silver cannot be effectively controlled, it would be tantamount to handing over the financial security of the Ming Dynasty to others.

If history remains unchanged, and Spain and the Netherlands are locked in a fierce battle at sea in Europe, with no one to provide the Ming Dynasty with enough silver to support the market.

The large amount of silver that had previously flooded in was mostly hidden in the cellars of wealthy households and not circulated in the market, leading to a widespread silver shortage in the Ming Dynasty, which was no laughing matter.

Therefore, Zhu Zaiji had to change the rules, taking advantage of the world's high demand for the Ming Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty's ability to stand alone in the world.

The Ming Dynasty's guaranteed exchange currency was promoted to the whole world through this trade exchange method, so that all merchants and countries willing to do business with the Ming Dynasty would use the Ming Dynasty's guaranteed exchange currency.

Then one day in the future, the Ming Dynasty can use the newly exchanged currency to harvest the wealth of the entire world, making everyone in the world contribute to the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty!
Therefore, the Maritime Trade Office of the Customs Administration requires foreign ships that come to the Ming Dynasty for normal trade to exchange gold, silver and other physical goods for RMB notes. This is a fundamental national policy that the Ming Dynasty must adhere to now and in the future!
Although Qi Jin did not understand the court's major policies, his stance was very clear: he was a citizen of the Ming Dynasty and would unconditionally uphold the so-called rules of the Ming Dynasty!
Therefore, Qi Jin immediately retorted to Johnson's question: "Captain Johnson, this is the Ming Dynasty. If you want to do business with us, you must abide by our rules."

"Moreover, our Ming Dynasty's silk, tea, porcelain and other goods have never had trouble selling. If you think the rules are not in your favor, you can simply give up your business here, leave our island, and not interfere with other friendly and law-abiding merchants and ships doing business here."

"Therefore, I demand that you immediately disarm and withdraw from the so-called Orange City, either through normal trade via the Ming Dynasty's Maritime Trade Office or by leaving Ming Dynasty waters, otherwise—"

"What else?"

Johnson raised an eyebrow and asked in a very provocative manner.

Qi Jin looked at Johnson and said, word by word, "Otherwise, the Ming army will not allow any unstable factors that may threaten the security of the Ming Dynasty's maritime borders to stir up trouble in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Ming navy!"

The atmosphere in Johnson's drawing room suddenly became tense.

Johnson placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and the sound of Dutch soldiers running could be heard outside the door.

Wang Hu and Yu Qiang immediately stood guard on either side of Qi Jin, their hands also secretly on the hilts of their swords, vigilantly scanning their surroundings. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would behead Johnson within three steps!

After sensing the murderous aura emanating from Qi Jin and the others, Johnson couldn't help but feel a chill. As a seasoned adventurer (pirate), Johnson's ability to travel thousands of miles to the Ming Dynasty to build a city and establish a foothold was certainly not solely due to his strength. More often than not, it was because he valued his life and had a stronger sense of danger than the average person.

So at this moment, Johnson suddenly burst into laughter: "Oh Lord, brave envoy of the Ming Dynasty! You are truly courageous! I admire warriors like you!"

After saying that, he waved his hand outside, signaling the approaching soldiers to step back.

Then, with a friendly expression, he said to Qi Jin, "Envoy Qi, let's end our discussion here for today. You've come from afar, so why don't you rest in the city for the night and continue our discussions tomorrow?"

Qi Jin knew the other party had ill intentions, but leaving now would not only make him seem guilty, but might also lead to unforeseen circumstances. So Qi Jin went along with it and said, "Alright, then I'll take my leave."

After leaving the reception room, the Dutch soldiers led the three to a guest room, where guards stood at the door.

Wang Hu whispered, "Commander, we've been placed under house arrest."

Qi Jin gestured for him to be quiet, carefully checked the room, and after confirming that no one was eavesdropping, whispered, "Johnson won't let us leave easily; something will definitely happen tonight."

Yu Qiang clenched his fist: "Why don't we fight our way out now!"

Qi Jin shook his head: "The enemy outnumbers us, and a direct confrontation is not the way to go. We need to outsmart them."

Qi Jin took out a small piece of paper and a charcoal pencil from his pocket and quickly drew out the castle layout he had noted down when he arrived, especially the positions of the cannons and the distribution of troops.

"Wang Hu, you have the best skills. After dark, find a way to sneak out and deliver this intelligence back to the military town, and hand it over to the commander-in-chief in person."

Wang Hu didn't mince words. He took the blueprints and hid them in his boot: "Don't worry, Commander, I'll deliver them even if it costs me my life!"

Night fell, and the city of Orange was sparsely lit. Qi Jin stood by the window, observing the changing of the guards. As midnight approached, the guards began to doze.

"It's now."

Qi Jin whispered, signaling Wang Hu to take action.

Wang Hu nodded, tiptoed out of the window, and disappeared into the night under the cover of shadows.

Qi Jin breathed a sigh of relief and was about to turn around when the door was suddenly pushed open. Johnson barged in with a squad of armed soldiers.

"Envoy, why aren't you resting at this late hour?"

Johnson sneered.

Qi Jin remained calm and composed: "The night is beautiful; let's enjoy the view."

Johnson's gaze swept across the room: "Where is one of your attendants?"

"Going to the toilet."

Qi Jin remained unfazed.

Johnson clearly didn't believe it and immediately ordered, "Search!"

The soldiers searched high and low and soon found Yu Qiang bound hand and foot and gagged under the bed—it turned out that the real Yu Qiang had already been secretly arrested by the Dutch, and the "Yu Qiang" who had just followed Qi Jin was actually Wang Hu in disguise.

"What a brilliant escape from the cicada's shell!"

Johnson laughed angrily, "Messenger, your tricks are over! Guards, take them away!"

Qi Jin knew that resistance was futile, so he calmly allowed the soldiers to bind him.

As he was being led out of the room, he took one last look at the night sky over Taiwan—Wang Hu should have left safely by now, right?

In the dark and damp dungeon, Qi Jin was chained to the wall. The Dutch searched his body and took all his belongings, leaving him only with a thin undergarment.

After an unknown amount of time, the cell door opened, and Johnson walked in with two soldiers.

"Envoy, what's your decision?"

Johnson asked, looking down at him.

Qi Jin looked up, his eyes still sharp despite his disheveled state: "What are you considering? Considering sparing your life?"

Johnson crouched down to meet Qi Jin's gaze, suppressing his anger: "Tell me about your navy's deployment, especially your commander's plans."

"If I am satisfied, I might spare your life."

Qi Jin sneered and said, "Keep dreaming!"

Johnson was not offended and still did not take Qi Jin or even the Ming Dynasty navy seriously.

Johnson said, “Why be so stubborn? You Han Chinese have a saying, ‘A wise man submits to circumstances.’ The strength of our Dutch East India Company far exceeds your imagination.”

“Now that you are in our hands, we will not only establish a foothold in Taiwan, but also obtain trade privileges along the coast of Fujian and Guangdong.”

Qi Jin almost laughed when he heard this. Clearly, this foreigner didn't understand the culture of the Ming Dynasty and thought that capturing an envoy was enough to coerce negotiations and make exorbitant demands.

He had no idea what the value of the Han envoy was!

Qi Jin laughed and said, "Alright, keep dreaming. We'll see what awaits you then."

Johnson listened as Qi Jin slowly stood up, his face extremely gloomy. "It seems you won't shed tears until you see God!"

Johnson winked at the soldier guarding Chijin, "Give our guest a good welcome."

The guard immediately understood. He walked in front of Johnson, raised his whip, and lashed out at Qi Jin!

After being whipped while bound, Qi Jin gritted his teeth in pain but did not utter a sound.

At the same time, I couldn't help but feel excited. These wounds were all military achievements!
The more severe the suffering now, the greater his contribution will be when this stone city is captured!

"Say or not?"

Johnson asked sternly.

Qi Jin's back was now a bloody mess.

He raised his head, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but revealed a contemptuous smile, "Heh heh, you red-haired devils, you know nothing of the power of the Ming Dynasty."

Johnson roared, "Keep hitting! Keep hitting until he says it!"

Just then, a Dutch officer rushed into the dungeon and whispered a few words in Johnson's ear.

Johnson's expression changed drastically, and he glared at Qi Jin fiercely. "Consider yourself lucky!"

It turned out that after Wang Hu successfully escaped back to the military town in northern Taiwan, he immediately reported to Qi Jiguang that Qi Jin had been detained.

At the same time, he also handed over the defense map drawn by Qi Jin to Qi Jiguang.

Qi Jiguang looked at the defense map that Qi Jin had risked his life to obtain, without any hesitation or doubt.

He understood the importance of speed in warfare all too well.

Moreover, the second Yongle-class giant ship, named "Jiajing", has already arrived at the military town port and is just missing a sea trial test in actual combat.

Qi Jiguang immediately ordered the mobilization of naval warships, which set off in a grand procession towards the southern waters of Taiwan.

Yu Huatian boarded the giant ship "Jiajing" with Qi Jiguang, and Yu Dayou, who was escorting the ship, stood beside them!

Yu Dayou has always stayed at Longjiang Shipyard, and this giant ship can be said to have "grown up" under his watchful eye. He is also the most familiar with the situation of this giant ship.

Therefore, Yu Dayou was naturally in charge of directing the performance of the "Jiajing" giant ship's debut!

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(End of this chapter)